Muzaffarpur, 03 January (ABN) In a major crackdown against corruption in Muzaffarpur district, the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) on Saturday arrested District Agriculture Officer (DAO) Sudhir Kumar while accepting a bribe. The bureau carried out the operation at his private residence located on Church Road. The vigilance team caught him taking a bribe of 19,000 rupees. The arrest has sent shockwaves throughout the agriculture department. According to sources, Sudhir Kumar is accused of demanding a total of 2 lakh rupees in bribes from contract employee Santosh Kumar for extending his service and re-joining. Santosh Kumar stated that the officer was constantly pressuring him and threatening not to work if the bribe was not paid. Under duress, he gave 1 lakh 81 thousand rupees as the first installment of the bribe on 5 December 2025. According to the affected Santosh, despite receiving such a large amount, DAO Sudhir Kumar was not satisfied and continued to pressure him for the remaining 19,000 rupees. Troubled, Santosh Kumar filed a written complaint in this regard at the Vigilance Department in Patna on 11 December 2025. After the complaint, the Vigilance Investigation Bureau verified the matter, in which the allegations were found to be true. Following this, a special team was formed, and a plan was made to catch the accused officer red-handed. As per the planned strategy, on Saturday, when Santosh Kumar reached Sudhir Kumar's private residence with the remaining bribe amount, the pre-deployed vigilance team raided and arrested him.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the Vigilance Department, Mithilesh Kumar, stated that the accused officer was arrested along with the bribe amount. He said that after the arrest, a search of the officer's residence is also being conducted to find documents and other important evidence related to assets exceeding income. Several points have been suspected in the initial investigation.
The DSP also said that after the arrest, the accused was taken to Patna, where he will be produced before a special vigilance court. Further action will be taken as per the court's direction. Notably, Sudhir Kumar held the post of District Agriculture Officer, as well as the additional charge of Project Director (ATMA) and Assistant Director (Crop), Tirhut Division. In such a scenario, his arrest has raised serious questions about the performance of the agriculture department. This action has given hope to the general public and contract employees that strict measures can be taken against corruption.